Indonesian Boot Makers (Onderhoud, Benzein, RenavGoods, Santalum, etc)

[XWT]

I have ordered a pair of boots from Prof Barnets and I should have them in about 4 weeks. I’ll post a review here.

 

[justsayno]

good luck! looking forward to reading your review

 

[lol_12345]

Is the statement that the "quality" is better just a subjective statement or are you familiar with the components that they use? If the latter I'd love to be educated as I don't think I've ever bothered to ask. I know Winson for instance you can upgrade to leather toe puffs

more so the former. was mainly referring to the more popular brands like onderhoud, benzein, renav, etc. It seems like their stitching is more clean than viberg and I haven't seen anyone post about crooked captoes, poorly punched brogue captoes, and other issues that people have had with viberg

 

[jischwar]

more so the former. was mainly referring to the more popular brands like onderhoud, benzein, renav, etc. It seems like their stitching is more clean than viberg and I haven't seen anyone post about crooked captoes, poorly punched brogue captoes, and other issues that people have had with viberg

I think they are also more willing to fix mistakes. I had a pair made by Renav that were not the correct size and they did remake them

 

[XWT]

Viberg has to deal with the limitations of RTW, and how their machinery & operators will adapt to all the different models and materials.

The Indonesian shoemakers focussing on hand welting and generally speaking hand making don’t have that limitation, but they can’t offer volume and ensure being capable of distributing through wholesale.

Also, the price difference is indicative of the wages earned by the workers + the fixed costs of operating a business. In that regard, Indonesia and Canada are vastly different realities.

That being said, I recognize that most Indonesian bootmakers make a product that has nothing to envy to Viberg boots. However, I still like Viberg and I don’t think their value proposition is bad.

 

[FlyingMonkey]

I still like Viberg and I don’t think their value proposition is bad.

I'd agree with the first, but their 'value propoisition' is really not that great. Sure, you might want to pay that money if you like that look, and at sale prices they are definitely worth it, but at full price there are quite a few better bang-for-your-buck bootmakers in North America, even before you start looking at Indonesia.

 

[XWT]

Never said it was great either. I said Viberg’s value proposition is « not bad ». Despite the unimpressive QC you’re getting great looking lasts, premium leather uppers and a channeled welt. It’s not as good as Clinch but it’s also half the price.

 

[justsayno]

Clinch qc is hit and miss

Reddit - Dive into anything

www.reddit.com

 

[XWT]

Is that your reddit post?

 

[justsayno]

no the reviewer is shoemaker Lars from Ostmo boots

 

[XWT]

no the reviewer is shoemaker Lars from Ostmo boots

Yeah I wondered if you were him.

 

[saumilkt]

Hello everyone, this is my first post on this site! I am currently looking into buying a pair of Indonesian service boots for use during Illinois wintertime as I will be going there (UIUC) for my undergraduate studies this coming semester. I am currently deciding between Santalum, Monroe Heritage, Imperium, Renav, and Benzein.

I was speaking to Renav goods on whatsapp today, and they stated that they are only working with Dr. Sole soles currently. I really like their pattern and A1 last, but am not sure if a raw cord or supergrip sole is good enough for the Illinois winter.

Does anyone have experience with Dr. sole soles in midwest conditions? If so, how do they hold up/do they provide sufficient traction in the snow and rain?

 

[XWT]

They’re unlikely to work out well for that purpose. That doesn't mean you should avoid them at all cost, but know what you're getting into.

I live in Canada, in a part that has winters what last roughly 6 months (snow on the ground from mid-December to early May). I'd say the types of soles that really do a great job in my weather conditions are few and far between.

Commando soles, when their threads are too deep, will tend to accumulate snow and form a snowball of sort, which can be super inconvenient and if the snow is wet, super slippery. Soles with a slick bottom (most Dr. Soles, Dainites, etc.) will just not have any grip. I wear my boots with super slick soles in the months of "light winter" (December, late March, April) where most paved roads will be clear of snow. Dr. Sole seem to do fine in the rain but I have limited experience.

My favorite soles for winter are commando soles with a shallow thread and Ridgeway soles. Even my Blundtstones work out well, as their threading is minimal but existant so I have some grip on snow and wet surfaces but the snow doesn't cling to them.

My least favorite soles for Winter proper are leather soles, wedge soles & danite soles. However, with the weather I deal with, I've worn all of the above in foul weather and lived to tell the tale.

 

[FlyingMonkey]

Hello everyone, this is my first post on this site! I am currently looking into buying a pair of Indonesian service boots for use during Illinois wintertime as I will be going there (UIUC) for my undergraduate studies this coming semester. I am currently deciding between Santalum, Monroe Heritage, Imperium, Renav, and Benzein.

If I were you, I'd also include Txture and Junkard on that list, especially if you want winter-compatible boots. They both do Commando and other Vibram soles (of several types) and also Norwegian and Weldtschoen construction with stormwelting. They both have a variable selection of leathers, but currently Txture have some C.F.Stead Kudu in various colours, and Junkard specializes in Shell, but has some Horween Chomexcel, for tougher conditions.

Unusually for Indonesian makers they both have fully functional website-based ordering, and they both actually respond to inquiries in English.

Txture are here: https://txtureboots.com

Junkard are here: https://junkardcompany.com/

Needless to say, both make beautiful boots. Junkard is slightly cheaper: I paid about $350 US for mine, whereas Txture quoted me $440. Both offer free shipping anywhere in the world.

 

[Sneaky Pete]

I am interested in these makers but my feet are narrow and I have a bunion, so my concern is that if I buy a pair that doesn't fit (even if made to correcty specification) it's an expensive and non-returnable mistake. How do you overcome that concern?